On Saturday 9th March, seventeen girls from Years 7-9 spent the day at Kings College London to participate in the UK Space Design Competitions Galactic Challenge.
The competition was specifically designed for younger participants, but still embodied the exciting nature of the more advanced UK Space Design Competitions.
In the morning, the girls were given a Request for Proposal, or RFP, which outlined the task ahead of them, which was very similar to real proposals used in the engineering industry. The aim was to design a permanent settlement on Mercurys terminator for 10,500 settlers in the year 2089. There were many obstacles to overcome, such as extreme temperature fluctuations, the lack of an atmosphere, and few volatile elements. Not only did they have to consider these mechanical and operational aspects, but also the mental challenges of living on a new planet. Creativity was at the fore in designing such a settlement from scratch. Aside from the science, teamwork and flexibly were key attributes – something in which our girls excel.
By the end of the day, the teams presented their work in front of a specialist board of judges. The judges were particularly impressed with our teams system of mining water from the Mercurian ice caps and their consideration of emergency back-up infrastructure. Three of our students were in the winning team: Summer, Sofia and Joanna.
Overall, the day was an invaluable, enriching experience for the girls and a chance to be creative in a scientific field, work together, and present a group idea. It was a way to gain an early insight into the field of engineering, applying what they are learning in school to a real-life design situation. The girls were so excited to apply their physics knowledge to their design, and were unfailingly enthusiastic, creative and excited about science.
